For information about this Public Comment, please click here

Brief Overview

Purpose: This public comment proceeding seeks to obtain community input on proposed revisions to the language of the ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors.

Current Status: The revisions to ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors have been drafted to improve the Standards and set out an affirmative expectation that harassment of participants in the multistakeholder community will not be accepted.

Next Steps: Upon completion of the public comment period, staff will summarize and forward any community input to the ICANN Board for consideration.

Section I: Description, Explanation, and Purpose

The Expected Standards of Behavior set out how the participants in the ICANN community are expected to behave when participating in ICANN processes. The Standards were developed with community consultation in 2008, and were updated in 2012 after public comment.

In March 2016, at the ICANN55 meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, the issue of community-member conduct towards each other was highlighted as a matter of concern. The ICANN Board was requested to work with the community to address this issue. One area that can be improved is refining the Standards document to more specifically set out what respectful treatment among community members should be, and to make clear that harassment is not appropriate conduct when participating in ICANN's work.

The proposed improvement to the Standards are now provided for the community's input. The revised text is based in generally accepted broad standards for areas of protection against harassment.

Section II: Background

During and after the ICANN55 meeting, the issue of certain community-member conduct toward one another has been raised in various sessions and lists.

It was determined by ICANN Board that revisions to the language of the Expected Standards of Behavior is needed that align with generally accepted board standards for areas of protection and recommended that the revised version be posted for public comment.

Additional work, such as retention of an expert to assist in a policy and procedure to guide when potentially improper behavior is reported, is also under way.

Section V: Reports

Staff Contact

FINAL VERSION TO BE SUBMITTED IF RATIFIED

FINAL DRAFT VERSION TO BE VOTED UPON BY THE ALAC

The final draft version to be voted upon by the ALAC will be placed here before the vote is to begin.

ALAC statement on Revisions to ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors

The ALAC welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Revisions to ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors and hereby submits the following as a formal statement to the Board:

The ALAC recognizes the need to review the ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors as a continued effort to address the evolving needs in our community;

The ALAC is supportive of the proposed revision to the ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors as it is our belief that said revision will help to improve areas of coexistence between the many participants in ICANN meetings, thus fostering diversity and strengthening our community’s richness;

The ALAC believes the ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors must be augmented by providing clear information about how violations to the Expected Standards of Behaviors will be addressed and who is to address said violations.

The ALAC also suggests to include clear information on how and where to report any transgression to the Expected Standards of Behaviors.

The ALAC also recommends that, once the Expected Standards of Behaviors review is finalized, ICANN undertakes a socialization campaign on these issues especially at face to face gatherings, which may include but not necessarily be limited to; handouts. posters publicly available and viable material and or some outreach activities, as well as some form of acknowledgment by participants that they have read, understood and agreed to comply with these standards.

The ALAC is confident that this revision to the ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors will favor a better interaction between community members at ICANN meetings while providing a clear process to report any violations.

FIRST DRAFT SUBMITTED

ALAC statement on Revisions to ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors

The ALAC welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Revisions to ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors and hereby submits the following as a formal statement to the Board:

The ALAC recognizes the need to review the ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors as a continued effort to address the evolving needs in our community;

The ALAC is supportive of the proposed revision to the ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors as it is our belief that said revision will help to improve areas of coexistence between the many participants in ICANN meetings, thus fostering diversity and strengthening our community’s richness;

The ALAC has identified an opportunity to improve the ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors by adding clear information about the process in regard to how violations to the Expected Standards of Behaviors will be addressed and who is to address said violations.

The ALAC also suggests to include clear information on how and where to report any transgression to the Expected Standards of Behaviors.

The ALAC is confident that this revision to the ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors will favor a better interaction between community members at ICANN meetings while providing a clear process to report any violations.

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12 Comments

I would suggest that the ALAC make a simple affirmative and supportive comment regarding these (welcome) revisions to the existing ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviours documentation... However in addition to and in support of the comment made by one f the ALAC Members Seun Ojedeji in the email thread regarding this matter => "... may be good to clarify on is to know who/whom to contact or to report to when any of the expected behaviour is allegedly violated. I think it may be good to have a clear process for that." I would further suggest that the ALAC and wider At-Large Community, would also like to call upon ICANN to support these changes to the agreed expectations of Behaviours to also ensure that at Public Meetings and gatherings of ICANN certain additional facilitations and supporting actions and mechanisms are prepared and made Standard in support of this additional text. including but not limited to the posting of contact details for reporting and support (peer, professional and other as required) for any transgressions that are alleged; and such things as an onsite requirement for participants and delegates to affirm their understanding and acceptance of these Expectations (perhaps as simple as accepting a terms and conditions like agreement) required to complete Registration etc., through to other tools and actions that in conjunction with the wider ICANN Community are developed. (or some such)

What has been done here follows exactly the consensus that the ALAC came to when I posed the question, so I agree that a short statement of support is warranted.

In my message to David Olive conveying our position, I also pointed out that we needed to address how violation reports are to be addressed (and as Cheryl points out, HOW to make such reports), and that we also needed to address a further aspect of consciousness raising and familiarizing people as to what is or is not accepted behaviour (and it is not black and white since context and prior relationships alters the judgement).

I would recommend that we support the document as it is. I think it is in line with our agreed code of conduct. My only concern is how do we monitor the application of these rules? And as previously stated by Seun, Cheryl and Alan, how do we report misbehaviour and to who do we report to? What will be the consequencies? Wide acommunication within our community will be needed once all these issues get sorted out.

I agree with al of the above comments. I also question why we now have a heading for 'treat' when 'respect' really says it all - including how to treat people. Maybe delete the 'treat' rule and include in the 'respect' rule, anything that is left over by deletion of the 'treat' rule. (I prefer the 'respect' rule - it is far more comprehensive)

SInce what we are suggesting is not really a standard of behavior, but adjunct information that should be readily available, I would suggest that we re-word point 3 to read:

The ALAC believes the ICANN Expected Standards of Behaviors must be augmented by providing clear information about how violations to the Expected Standards of Behaviors will be addressed and who is to address said violations.

Might I also suggest a #5 (not just because I prefer odd numbers of thins - even though I do) to read something along the lines of... "The ALAC also recommends the undertaking of some 'community socialisation' of these issues especially at face to face gatherings of ICANN or its component parts, which may include but not necessarily be limited to; handouts. posters publicly available and viable material and or some outreach activities, as well as some form of undertaking by participants that they have read, understood and agreed to comply with these standards".

I agree with Alan's point - this is about the standards. The question both Fatimata and Cheryl raise is an important one - how to implement/oversight the standards. But that's another discussion. Let's get these sorted

I agree with the amendments that Leon has incorporated into his statement.. and I also agree that it doesn't hurt to add the statement about how people will be made aware of these standards, the expectation of compliance and what happens if you don't.